Business: Mail Works
Address: 1807 S. Washington St., Naperville
Contact info: 630-355-1200, www.mailworksnaperville.com
Owners: Tania and Bob DiNicola
Years in business: “It’s almost been six years for us. We wanted to buy a business that had been established. We were looking, and we saw this one. We liked it and said we’re going to try it. … Six years later, we are still here,” said Tania DiNicola, a former human resources professional. “The original owners, Mary and Larry, they probably had it about 20 years, and they sold it to another couple, who had it for about a year, and then we bought it.”
What does this business do? “We do professional packing. That’s our No. 1 thing, and we ship through UPS, FedEx or USPS, so that’s kind of the core of the business. And then we have a whole business services side, where we do things like shredding, copying, printing. We have mailboxes for rent, and we’ve gotten more into administrative things for our customers too — doing mailings for them, stuffing envelopes, procurement. We do eBay. … We do care packages or client gifts for businesses.” There’s also a gift shop that sells work by local artists, fair trade organizations and other items. “It’s really one-stop shopping and sending things off to people you care for.”
What was the impetus for buying this business? “We looked at different businesses and wanted something like a mom-and-pop store. We looked at different things, but when we saw this one, we could see ourselves doing it. It’s something that we could learn, and it was definitely long established.”
When is your busiest time of year? “Definitely, definitely December. And definitely the second and third weeks in December. Even for the gift shop area. I think people are stopping in to do their shipping and seeing it, say, ‘Oh, look at all this,’ realizing they can do their shopping and their shipping.”
What is the most popular service you provide? “I’d say the No. 1 thing is our shipping. That’s what people know us for. But really, the retail part is growing and so is the administrative services that we do. I think as the business is changing and people can do more online shipping, printing their own stamps, and such, we will be shifting our services. The administrative is really growing, and it only happened because one of our customers was bringing in all his stuff and mentioned how time-consuming it is. It was summer, and we weren’t crazy busy, so we said, ‘We can help you with that,’ and now he’s one of our best customers.”
What is a less popular thing you would recommend? “Maybe the Happy Packages. That is something that we started for college students because (employee) Maureen had a college student at the time. We thought it would be nice to have an ongoing service. We do these small, once-a-month packages. It’s a little treat and something fun, like a ball or a pen, just small, and a little card. People can sign up for a monthly subscription. We’ve (also) been doing more like a quarterly one, a fall one, and maybe a holiday one, and maybe a finals one.”
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What is the thing you most like to do as part of your business? “I like doing the retail part, the gift section, that’s my favorite part. Bob’s favorite part is probably packing because he is a really good packer. He loves a challenge.”
What is your least favorite thing to do? “For me, it would probably be the accounting, the bookkeeping. I’d much rather be dealing with the customers and dealing with the pretty things out there.”
What is the best thing about owning your own business? “You can be creative. You are your own boss. We really wanted to do something where we get to know the customers. We kind of wanted to be in a neighborhood where we meet local people.”
What is the biggest downside? “For us, because we are married, we don’t get time off together much. It’s hard. We are a small business. … Especially in retail, you can’t really close and say we’re going on vacation.”
How would you describe your business philosophy? “I would say, provide the best service that you can. Service with a smile. It might sound cliche, but it’s what we believe in.”
What advice would you give someone thinking about opening a store? “Just that it’s more time than you think. … It’s rewarding, but it’s a lot of effort.”
Daina Saleh is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.